Wednesday, 27 February 2019

What is Python?

Python is web friendly and dynamic object oriented language which is used for the development of different types of applications and software’s. Its easy to learn and comes with strong support for integration with multiple languages , tools and extensive standard libraries. Developer community feels that using Python is productive gain for them as it encourages development of high quality and the code is also maintainable.

No matter if you want to create sophisticated websites or simple application, python comes with right set of tools to create those. It comes with standard web related modules with core distributions to wide variety of cluster of application servers.

Python-Friendly Web Hosting in India

Whether you’re developing a Python-based website for your business or a personal blog for your hobby club, our “Beginner” Python hosting package is all you need.All of our web hosting packages include Python. We offer shared Python hosting packages at an affordable prices.

Friday, 22 February 2019

Most companies nowadays will have a website which they will use to tell the world about themselves and their services or products. A website will be found in the internet using a domain name, but before a company can use it, it has to undergo a domain name registration. So what is the process of getting a company’s domain name registered and why is it necessary?

Domain name registration process starts with getting the name the company will want to use to identify them on the internet. Usually the actual company name will suffice, but some companies could use the notorious name of one of their products for easy identification on the internet. The domain name should also have a suitable extension, for example, .com, .biz, .org, .net that allows people to know what type of business the company or organisation is in. Having chosen a suitable name, it is reasonable to check whether it has already been registered. This is because domain names are registered on a first come first served basis and the lease can be up to 10 years, depending on the amount paid to register. After the lease period paid for is over, the name is free to be registered by another user. Domain name registrars, such as GoDaddy, register domain names for a fee payable per year to keep it secured. Such registrars work with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or ICANN, a non profit organisation that manages domain name registration. To find registrars and compare their services, Wikipedia has a list available on their site for perusal.

There are several advantages of domain name registration. It is necessary for companies and organisations to register their domain names because it gives their brand presence on the internet and it is easy to refer people to it when carrying out campaigns for products or services to get more information online. Registering a company domain name also secures it from the use by others who would want to use the company’s popularity to drive traffic to their site. Companies should register a domain name with all the extensions available for their purposes to avoid domain name squatters or people who will register a domain name to use it for ulterior motives when the real owners of the popular name want to register it. A website gives companies credible status. Particularly today, where most businesses are run over the internet, it is vital to have some information about your company on a registered website with a domain name that is registered and not hosted by a freebie. It creates a professional image and generates confidence in people about the company.

Wednesday, 20 February 2019

With small businesses increasingly adopting cloud based file sharing technology (see Box, Dropbox for Business and OneDrive for Business to name but three) is there still a place for the Windows Domain and Active Directory?

What is a Windows Domain?

Not to be confused with internet domains, a Windows domain is a closed system of users and computers that can share resources and adhere to one centrally controlled management structure. Each user and machine belonging to that domain must authenticate with a domain controller in order to access the system. User accounts, machine accounts, security groups and many other settings are held in a central database called Active Directory.

Some of the benefits for small businesses

Group policy: One of the greatest advantages of Windows domain setup is the ability to use group policy to control all the settings of each workstation in granular detail. Wherever there is a setting in the Windows operating system, group policy allows for it to be set and enforced centrally. For example, a standard operating environment is achievable as an administrator can enforce a standard company brand, ensure shared resources like file shares and printers are automatically connected and that standard applications are automatically deployed to each machine. It is possible to prohibit end users from installing any software themselves or you can have a predefined list of approved software available for installation.

Roaming profiles: In a domain setup, users can login to any machine that is in the domain using their standard active directory credentials. However, ordinarily, the user experience is not consistent because none of your individual settings (think MS Office toolbars, macros, email signatures, printing defaults etc etc) persist as they are stored locally on your machine. With roaming profiles, you can log into any machine on the domain and find everything is as you left it.

Windows Update Services (WUS): Without a Windows domain, each PC has individual settings for patch management which creates security concerns and puts pressure on the internet connection. Using WUS it is possible to set a single update policy which all the machines will adhere to. Additionally, the patches and updates are cached on the domain controller so that they are not downloaded again and again from the public internet.

Password policies: An Active Directory account will conform to a central password policy. This allows the business to enforce password complexity and frequent changes across the whole team, something which greatly tightens security.

Office 365 Directory Sync: User accounts and passwords can be kept in sync with Microsoft cloud services such as Microsoft Office 365 allowing the user to operate with one set of credentials.

Volume Shadow Copy: If you’re using a Windows file server in a domain environment, it is possible for users to restore previous versions of files and folders on a self-service basis from their workstation.

3rd Party Software: Many third party packages especially security-related, will demand a Windows domain environment. For example, many business Antivirus products commonly require a domain in order to deploy, maintain and monitor the workstation installations.

Cloud Based: For small organisations, it is possible to get all the benefits of Active Directory without the need for a physical server humming away in the corner of your office. By using Azure it is possible to have the best of both worlds.

Monday, 18 February 2019

FTP and TFTP both are the application layer protocols. Both are used to transfer a file from client to server or from the server to the client . But FTP is more complex than TFTP. There are many differences between FTP and TFTP, but the major difference between FTP and TFTP is that FTP establishes two connection for transferring a file between client and server that are TCP’s port 20 for data connection and TCP’s port 21 for the control connection. On the other hand, TFTP uses the only single connection on UDP’s port 69 to transfer a file between client and server.

Let’s study the other differences between FTP and TFTP with the help of comparison chart.

FTP Vs TFTP

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences

Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR COMPARISON

FTP

TFTP

Abbreviation

File Transfer Protocol.

Trivial File Transfer Protocol.

Authentication

Authentication is required in FTP for communication between client and server.

No authentication is required in TFTP.

Service

FTP uses TCP service which is a connection-oriented service.

TFTP uses UDP service which is connection-less service.

Software

FTP software is larger than TFTP.

TFTP software is smaller than FTP and fits into readonly memory of the diskless workstation.

Connection

FTP establishes two connections one for data(TCP port no. 21) and one for control(TCP port no. 20).

TFTP establishes a single connection for its file transfer (UDP port no. 69).

Commands/Message

FTP have many commands.

TFTP have only five messages.

Complexity

FTP is more complex

TFTP is less complex.

Definition of FTP

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is an application layer protocol. FTP is a mechanism provided by TCP/IP for transferring the file from client to server or from the server to the client. The issues resolved by FTP are, like two systems between whom the file is being exchanged may use different file convention or different way to represent text and data, or a different directory structure. To resolve these issue FTP has a list of commands.

To copy a file from one host to another FTP establishes two connection one for data transfer and one for the control connection. FTP uses TCP service for transferring the file. TCP’s port 20 is used for data connection, and TCP’s port 21 is used for the control connection. The control connection remains opened till the entire interactive session remains and closed when the session ends. While the control connection is opened the data connection open and closed each time, the file is transferred.

The control connection uses simple rules for the communication. On the other hand, the data connection is more complex as it uses different commands for the variety of data being transferred. Although the user is authenticated at the time of the connection establishment still, FTP is not secure as the password provided by the user is a plain text as well as the data is also transferred in plain text, which can be intercepted by the attacker. The solution to this is to add SSL(Secure Socket Layer).

Another way to transfer the file securely is to use an independent protocol sftp (secure file transfer protocol). The sftp is a part of SSH protocol.

Definition of TFTP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is an application layer protocol. When we need to transfer a file from client to server or from the server to the client without the need for the feature of FTP, then TFTP is used. TFTP’s software package is smaller and it can fit into the read-only memory of diskless workstations which can be used during the bootstrap time. The software package of TFTP is smaller as compared to FTP and fit on the ROM easily because it only requires IP and UDP. The sender always sends the data block of the fixed size that is 512 bytes and waits for the acknowledgement to receive before it sends the next block of data.

There are five messages of TFTP that are RRQ, WRQ, DATA, ACK, ERROR. RRQ is a read request message which is used to establish the connection between client and server for reading data. WWQ is a write request message used to establish the connection between client and server for writing data. DATA is the message used by client or server to send the block of data. ACK is the acknowledgement message used by the client or the server to acknowledge the receipt of the received data block. ERROR is a message used by the client or the server when there is a problem in establishing the connection between client and server, or there is a problem in transferring the data.

Key Differences Between FTP and TFTP

1. The full form of FTP is File Transfer Protocol whereas, the full form of TFTP is Trivial File Transfer Protocol.

2. While communicating with FTP authentication is required during establishing connection. On the other hand, No authentication is required while communicating with TFTP.

3. FTP is a connection-oriented service whereas, the TFTP is a connection-less service.

4. The software of TFTP is smaller than FTP and it fits into read-only memory of diskless workstation.

5. In FTP connection is established using two connection first on port number 20 a control connection whereas second, on port number 21 for data connection. In TFTP a single connection is established at port number 69 for file transferring.

6. FTP has commands to perform actions whereas, in TFTP five messages are used to perform actions.

Sunday, 17 February 2019

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a method to validate the authenticity of email messages. When each email is sent, it is signed using a private key and then validated on the receiving mail server (or ISP) using a public key that is in DNS. This process verifies that the message was not altered during transit.

Why should I have a DKIM record?

While DKIM isn't required, having emails that are signed with DKIM appear more legitimate to your recipients and are less likely to go to Junk or Spam folders. Like SPF, passing DKIM is required for "Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance" (DMARC), a newer standard to reduce email spoofing which builds on top of SPF and DKIM.

In addition to verifying the authenticity of an email message, DKIM also provides a way for ISPs to track and build a reputation on your domain's sending history. This is why we strongly encourage signing DKIM with your own domain, allowing you to build a reputation as opposed to using our sending domain. This reputation is portable and will help you control your reputation and sending practices across multiple sources.

How does DKIM work?

Similar to SPF, DKIM also uses DNS TXT records with a special format. When a private/public key pair is created, the public key is added to your domain's DNS: